US Congress confirms Joe Biden’s victory as next US President with 306 votes

 Vice President Mike Pence was overseeing the counting and he announced the final vote tally, out of which 306 were in favour of Joe Biden and 232 in favour of President Donald Trump. 

The US Congress has confirmed Joe Biden’s Victory as the next President of the United States. The congressional leaders resumed the Electoral College vote count at night on January 6, 2021 after the breach of security of the US Capitol building by protestors supporting President Donald Trump.

The US Capitol building hosts both Houses of the US Parliament - US Senate and the House of Representatives. The violence and destruction caused by the protestors at the US Capitol had forced the members of the US Senate and House of Representatives to suspend the joint session that was convened to affirm Biden’s victory. 

The lawmakers were evacuated from the chambers as the capitol building was put under a lockdown after the Trump supporters entered the building. However, they returned to continue the counting of electoral votes after the building was secured. 

Key Highlights 

•The overnight counting of votes of the Electoral College confirmed Joe Biden’s landslide victory in the US Presidential Elections 2020. 

•Vice President Mike Pence was overseeing the counting and he announced the final vote tally, out of which 306 were in favour of Joe Biden and 232 in favour of President Donald Trump. 

•Joe Biden easily passed the required majority mark of 270 Electoral Votes. 

•Both the Senate and House of Representatives voted to reject two separate challenges to President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania and Arizona. 

•The claims of voter fraud by President Trump were unsubstantiated and rejected by the AG Barr and the Supreme Court of the United States. 

•Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the next President of the United States of America on January 20, 2021. 

Trump finally concedes defeat? 

The outgoing US President Donald Trump, who has been continuously claiming that the elections were rigged and stolen from him, alleging irregularities and voter fraud, has committed to a peaceful and orderly transition of power on January 20 even though he disagrees with the result. 

Background 

On January 6, 2021, a swamp of protestors supporting President Trump rallied in front of the US Capitol building and even tried to enter it through violence and destruction. The violence was condemned by world leaders across the globe, who called it an attack on democracy.